POV: Elena
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The office was buzzing. And this time, it wasn't about deadlines or coffee shortages.
It was about me. And Zayden Wolfe.
I caught it in the way whispers fell silent the moment I entered the breakroom. The stolen glances. The "accidental" brushes of conversation I overheard:
> "He's never brought anyone coffee before—did you see him that morning?"
"They left the office together last night. Late."
"You think she slept her way into the job?"
It made my stomach churn.
I tried to brush it off, focus on work, but Zayden wasn't helping. He'd been distant.
Barely a glance my way in meetings.
No texts. No late-night rooftop invitations.
He was slipping behind walls I didn't even know existed. And the part that hurt most?
I missed him.
---
Then came the gala invitation.
A sleek black envelope sealed in gold, dropped on my desk by the HR director herself.
> "Attendance is mandatory for top recruits. Be presentable. The entire board will be there… including the chairman."
Chairman?
I didn't even know what he looked like.
We'd all assumed he was some elusive old-money CEO who never showed up.
But Zayden would be there, I knew it.
And maybe—just maybe—he'd explain why he'd been shutting me out.
---
The gala was held in a five-star hotel ballroom that looked like it belonged in a movie.
Gold chandeliers. Strings of violins. Guests dripping in designer.
And then—
He walked in.
Zayden.
In a black tuxedo that fit him like it was made for sin.
He looked like a prince from another world—untouchable, unreadable… and heartbreakingly distant.
He wasn't alone. A woman clung to his arm, laughing too loudly, touching him like she belonged there.
I couldn't breathe.
I turned away, downed a glass of champagne, and tried not to cry.
---
"Ladies and gentlemen," the MC called out, "Please welcome the man of the hour—the youngest CEO in our corporation's history. The founder and chairman of Wolfe Industries himself—Zayden Wolfe!"
My world… stopped.
People clapped.
Cameras flashed.
And me?
I dropped my glass.
It shattered.
Just like my heart.
He stepped up to the podium like he belonged there. Smooth. Powerful. Silent.
Zayden Wolfe.
The same man who told me he was just a department head.
The same man who kissed me like he meant it.
The same man who looked me in the eyes and said nothing when I asked what he was hiding.
I didn't wait for the speeches.
I didn't wait for an explanation.
I just left.
---
The next morning, I walked into the office one last time. My heart was still somewhere on that ballroom floor.
I knocked once on his door.
He looked up—surprised.
"Elena—"
"I just came to drop this off."
He took the envelope I handed him, confusion flickering in his eyes.
His fingers trembled as he pulled out the letter.
My resignation.
Handwritten. No fluff. Just the truth.
> "I trusted you.
I loved you.
And you—you lied."
His mouth opened like he wanted to speak.
But I didn't let him.
I turned. I walked.
And this time, he didn't stop me.
---